Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable 2015 Newsletters Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable Meeting Place Williamsburg Volume XXXIX Number 1 September 16, 2014 Carlson Hudson and Amy Miller "The Civil War In Seven Songs The September meeting will be held on the third Tuesday of September (September 16 th )** at 7PM in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre, 515 Scotland Street. The September 16th meeting will feature Carson Hudson and Amy Miller presenting "The Civil War in Seven Songs". Using themes such as patriotism, home, freedom, bravery, loss, and hope, this program, performed by Carson Hudson and Amy Miller, is a compact and moving study of the catastrophe that overtook America in the 1860s Carson Hudson is passionate about history. He is a practicing military and social historian, published author, Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, and circus fire-eater. He lectures regularly at museums and colleges on a wide variety of subjects, but his particular interests are the Civil War, military medicine, colonial witchcraft & piracy, and the history of American popular music. In his spare time he likes to sleep. Amy Edmondson Miller, D.M. (FSU 1989) is Fife Supervisor for the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums in Williamsburg, Virginia, as well as a performer for evening programs. In 2011, she made presentations for the National Flute Association’s Annual Flute Convention, held in Charlotte, North Carolina and for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s First Annual Early Music Festival. She has published three online articles for Flute Focus Magazine on "Fifing and Drumming in the Eighteenth Century". Amy recorded a CD of Stephen Foster’s music with Carson Hudson entitled, “Hard Times: Stephen Foster Remembered.” She and Carson performed monthly programs during 2013 at the Hennage Auditorium entitled, “The Civil War in 7 Songs”. **Note the change in date. The Roundtable will meet on the third Tuesday of the month from September through December of 2014 Last meeting , Our May 27th meeting at 7PM in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre featured Dr. Jonathan L. Stolz presenting “Civil War medicine: myths & misperceptions”. Medical care during the fratricidal struggle that divided our nation 150 years ago harbors many historic misunderstandings about the insurmountable challenges that doctors from the North and South faced. The myths and misperceptions about the two thirds of the war fatalities from disease will be the topic of the discussion. The surgical aspects of care will be presented at another time. The qualification of the physicians, the various maladies, the treatments, and innovations that took place during the war will be highlighted. Doctor Stolz is a physician who practiced in the specialty of radiology in Reading, Pennsylvania before retiring to Williamsburg in 2004. He has had a longtime interest in the history of medicine in the United States. He has taught courses at William & Mary's Christopher Wren Association including Presidential Illnesses, Civil War Medicine: Myths & Misperceptions, and in the 2014 Fall Semester will present Medicine in Colonial America (1607-1783). In 1863 his great grandfather John Christopher Keatley was appointed as one of the assistant paymasters of the Army of the Potomac by President Lincoln. Dues for 2014-2015 are due. Dues for the year are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family. Please make checks payable to WCWRT. 2014-2015 Officers of WCWRT: President: Bill Miller Vice-President: Gene Danko Secretary: Teri Teopke Treasurer: John Hale The Executive Committee consists of the elected officers, the immediate past president and other members appointed by the incoming president. Those members include Norm Cooper and Tom Lamb. Upcoming Meetings and Speakers Please note that all Fall meetings will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month • September 16, 2014 - Carson Hudson and Amy Miller - "The Civil War In Seven Songs" • October 21, 2014 - Drew Gruber - "Preservation of Williamsburg Battlefield Sites" • November 18, 2014 - Col. Edward Freyfogle (Ret) -"Civil War Surgery" • December 16, 2014 - Peggy Vogtsberger - "The Battle of Nashville" Upcoming Outside Events 2014 Walking historic tours of Isle of Wight. Click here for details. 2014 Anniversary Events • Sept 3, 2014 - Battle of Berryville. Click here for details Sept, 2014 Museum Of The Confederacy 150th Talks. Details click here • September 2014 -New Market Heights September 2014 - The National Civil War Museum launches the 150th Civil War Fall Lecture series for four consecutive Saturdays in our education gallery, 1:00pm-2:00pm. These lectures are included in the cost of admission and Free to members. • September 6, 2014 – “1864 Photo Extravaganza!” presented by Garry Adelman. Join us as we welcome Garry Adelman for a lively Civil War photography extravaganza. • September 13, 2014 - “The Overland Campaign 1864” presented by Gordon Rhea, who will take a critical look at the Overland Campaign, that test of will between the two best generals on each side of the Civil War, Grant and Lee. • September 20, 2014 – “The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) in the Civil War” presented by George Wunderlich. We will look at the roles of organizations like the Sanitary Commission, Christian Commission, and others, to see how ordinary citizens pool resources to bring relief and assistance to soldiers in the field….for better and for worse. • September 27, 2014 - “Conserving Artifacts from the H.L. Hunley Submarine” presented by Johanna Rivera-Diaz. The talk will begin with a brief description of the sinking of the submarine and cover the conservation of the artifacts that were excavated from the submarine. The Williamsburg Battlefield (historic) made the Preservation Virginia "most endangered sites list". Such a listing wouldn't have been possible without the support and encouragement from the round table. The idea of the list is to bring awareness and interpretation to the sites and not to shame or insult the developers or land owners. We encourage those that use Facebook to "friend" our site which is also listed below. signedDrew Gruber http://preservationvirginia.org/press-room/release/2014-most- endangered-historic-sites-list-press-release http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/many-of-virginias-historic-sites- are-in-jeopardy/2014/04/29/711a2cc6-cfc7-11e3-937f- d3026234b51c_story.html https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgBattlefieldAssociation WEBSITE : Be sure to frequently visit the site for newsletter info, announcements, future and past speakers, and an up to date calendar of events in the Civil War world. It’s available anytime you need the info. http://www.wcwrt.org . Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable Meeting Place Williamsburg Volume XXXIX Number 2 October 21, 2014 Drew Gruber "Preservation of Williamsburg Battlefield Sites” The October meeting will be held on the third Tuesday of October (October 21st )** at 7PM in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre, 515 Scotland Street. Drew Gruber will present “Preservation of Williamsburg Battlefield Sites”. As Private Edwin Brown of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry said, "The Battle of Williamsburg has received less importance in history than it has merited." 152 years later Ed’s quote is more pertinent than ever. Listed as one of Virginia's 'Most Endangered Sites' in 2014 the battle's continued recognition as one of the most pivotal of the war has been met with continued misinterpretation and subsequent neglect. Drew's presentation entitled; "Preserving Williamsburg's Battlefield" will utilize new research and maps to highlight the areas which have been lost to development as well as the opportunities which still exist for preservation and interpretation. Additionally he will discuss the ongoing efforts of the Williamsburg Battlefield Association as well as the battlefield’s value and relevance to our community. Drew Gruber holds his B.A. in Historic Preservation and a M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning. He was the 2013 Lawrence T. Jones III Research Fellow in Texas Civil War History and is working on a biography of Decimus Et Ultimus Barziza. He has authored several articles about the Battle of Williamsburg and has been actively involved in the Williamsburg Battlefield Association. He was recently appointed by the Governor to serve a four year term on the Commonwealth's Board of Historic Resources. He resides in Williamsburg with his wife Kate. **Note the change in date. The Roundtable will meet on the third Tuesday of the month from September through December of 2014 Last Month Carson Hudson and Amy Miller presented "The Civil War in Seven Songs". Using themes such as patriotism, home, freedom, bravery, loss, and hope, this program, performed by Carson Hudson and Amy Miller, is a compact and moving study of the catastrophe that overtook America in the 1860s Carson Hudson is passionate about history. He is a practicing military and social historian, published author, Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, and circus fire-eater. His particular interests are the Civil War, military medicine, colonial witchcraft & piracy, and the history of American popular music. Amy Edmondson Miller, D.M. (FSU 1989) is Fife Supervisor for the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums in Williamsburg, Virginia, as well as a performer for evening programs. Amy recorded a CD of Stephen Foster’s music with Carson Hudson entitled, “Hard Times: Stephen Foster Remembered.” She and Carson performed monthly programs during 2013 at the Hennage Auditorium entitled, “The Civil War in 7 Songs”. Dues for 2014-2015